the Physics in Context curriculum developed as part of the
Introductory University Physics Project (IUPP) [14], and
was a participating site for the NSF-funded Constructing
Physics Understanding Project (CPU) directed by Dr. Fred
Goldberg at San Diego State University [15].
As the interest in the teaching and learning of science
developed, several faculty in the College of NSM sought a
means of institutionalizing reform. The College was
awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation
for the Undergraduate Reform Initiative (URI). The URI
sought to reform the teaching and learning of science for
GE and preservice teacher education courses as well as
courses taken by science majors. Working groups were
created to focus on these different student populations.
At the same time, the entire university underwent a multi-
year reevaluation of its GE program, leading to student
learning goals in science, math, and technology that were
phrased in terms of objectives more closely linked to
assessment (as opposed to broader and more vague state-
ments of purpose). This effort created an opportunity to
revise existing courses and develop new ones that were
aligned with the newly developed learning goals. The
initial efforts of the URI working group to reform founda-
tion courses led to the nationally recognized reform of
the entire curriculum in the Department of Biological
Science [16].
D. Project ConCEPT
Coincident with the URI, Roger Nanes developed an
NSF-funded project titled Contextual Coursework for
Elementary Pre-Service Teachers (ConCEPT). ConCEPT
was a collaborative effort with five local community col-
leges to develop inquiry-oriented lab-based courses in the
sciences for future elementary teachers that would be
better matched than traditional lecture courses to the spe-
cial needs of this unique population. The primary peda-
gogical goals of ConCEPT were (1) to focus on the nature
of scientific inquiry, i.e., how to pose questions, gather
evidence and draw conclusions based on evidence, (2) to
model collaborative instructional methods adaptable to the
elementary classroom, and (3) to break from traditional
theoretical and abstract science courses and focus on teach-
ing science in the context of real-world, interdisciplinary
problems.
The three ConCEPT courses were intended to serve as a
required nine-unit cross-disciplinary package that would
fulfill science content requirements for entry to a multiple-
subject teaching credential and provide a strong disciplin-
ary background in biology, Earth science, physics, and
chemistry. Two of the courses, ‘‘Biology for Future
Elementary Teachers’’ and ‘‘Earth/Astronomical Science
for Future Elementary Teachers’’ were developed as
single-discipline courses, but Physics/Chemistry 102,
‘‘Physical Science for Future Elementary Teachers’’ (here-
after referred to as Phys/Chem 102), is taught jointly by
two departments, Physics and the Department of
Chemistry and Biochemistry. This structure was motivated
by the fact that GE science requirements at CSUF are, as
noted above, divided between the categories physical sci-
ence, Earth and astronomical science and life science, and
that content standards for teachers and K-12 students fol-
low a similar split. In Phys/Chem 102, one instructor from
each department is typically assigned to the course, though
one or both may be a part-time lecturer. In a few instances
at CSUF, graduate students with career goals as teachers
have been assigned to teach the course, but have been
paired with a faculty member with experience in the
course.
Each of the three ConCEPT courses is taught in a weekly
six-hour lab format. There is typically no lecture; rather,
students work in small groups on carefully structured
learning activities. Because of the lab format, enrollment
is limited to 26 students per section, compared to the
75–125 student lectures common to the more traditional
general education courses in these departments. Some
content for these courses was adapted from national cur-
ricula and some was developed locally, often in collabora-
tion with two-year college faculty from the partner
institutions [17]. While the biology and geology courses
have their own compelling story lines, the focus for the
remainder of this paper will be on the physical science
course, Phys/Chem 102 [18].
ConCEPT emphasized learning science in context, a
focus that was influenced by the Physics in Context thread
of IUPP as well as the American Chemical Society’s
Chemistry in Context curriculum [19]. Each of the courses
was developed to include two or more story lines that
would motivate the introduction of relevant science con-
tent. The intention is that students will see science as an
interconnected discipline with real-world implications
rather than a collection of facts and equations. For Phys/
Chem 102 three contexts were chosen: global warming,
focusing on the physics and chemistry of climate change,
including heat and temperature as well as the interaction of
light and matter; kitchen science, focusing on everyday
aspects of chemistry and some additional topics from
thermal physics, such as phase transitions and specific
heat; and the automobile, focusing on kinematics, dynam-
ics, and electricity and magnetism. Each topic is rich with
difficult content, and could easily occupy a full semester or
more, but the units focus on introductory science that
meets the California content standards. The duration of
the units vary according to the topics that the course
instructors select.
In order to maintain a balance between some of the
more difficult concepts demanded by the story line and
teaching scientific fundamentals, the curriculum proceeds
with simple first attempts at answering basic questions.
As concepts are introduced and developed, the story line
is refined by adding more sophisticated concepts. ForINQUIRY-BASED COURSE IN PHYSICS AND... PHYS. REV. ST PHYS. EDUC. RES.7,010106 (2011)010106-3